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Arcadia Bay
Arcadia Bay is a small town on the coast of and inlet of the Pacific Ocean, approximately 6 miles long and 2 miles wide, on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located just north of Cape Meares in western Tillamook County approximately 75 miles west of Portland. The town was originally inhabited by Native Americans who coexisted peacefully with American settlers. The bay is protected from the open ocean by shoals and a 3 miles sandbar called the Bayocean Peninsula. It is surrounded closely by the Coastal Range except at its southeast end, where the town of Tillamook sits near the mouths of the Kilchis, Wilson, Trask and Arcadia rivers, which flow quickly down from the surrounding timber-producing regions of the Coastal Range to converge at the bay. The short Miami River enters the north end of the bay. The small fishing town of Arcadia Bay sits near the cliffs opening of the bay in the ocean. The rivers that feed the bay are known for their prolific steelhead and salmon runs. The mixing of freshwater from the rivers with the ocean's saltwater makes the bay an estuary. The name "Arcadia" is a latin word meaning "Paradise", probably referring to the beauty of the natural scenery in the area. At the time of the arrival of Europeans, the area along the coast was inhabited by the Tillamook and other related Coast Salish tribes. Historians believe they entered the area around the year 1400 and Lewis and Clark estimated the population south of the Columbia River along the coast at approximately 2,200. The first American in Arcadia Bay was Captain Robert Gray who in August, 1788 arrived and explored the surrounding area. He was the first known American to set foot on Oregon shore. Gray at first thought he had landed at the Columbia river, but after discovering his mistake and a hostile encounter with the local natives, where one of Gray's crew and several natives were killed, he left the area after one week's stay. The bay was settled in 1839 by Ezekiel Blackwell, who journeyed overland to the bay, and subsequent trials of early settlement were described in the 1960 historical novel Blackwell by Don Berry. The novel and two sequels are collectively known as the "Blackwell novels." In 1911 an Oregon Municipal corporation called the Port of Bayocean was formed by a special election to manage land at the entrance to the bay. During World War II, the United States Navy operated blimp patrol station near the bay at Naval Air Station Arcadia. The station was decommissioned in 1948. In 1953 the Port of Bayocean acquired the former station and began operating it as the Port of Arcadia Bay. A 5.5 miles railroad spur, originally built by the Navy, connects the coastal communities along the bay to the Southern Pacific Railroad at Tillamook. The bay is within easy driving distance of Portland and is one of the most popular gateways to the Oregon Coast. The town of Arcadia Bay is the location of the famous Bean Hip Cafe. Waves can be dangerous off Arcadia Bay. The stone breakwater at the mouth of Arcadia Bay is only 400 meters wide. During heavy weather the waves off the harbor entrance can be 10 metres (33 ft) high, making entering the harbor dangerous. During the July 4th weekend of 1980 Richard Dixon, the United States Coast Guard coxswain of a 44-foot Motor Lifeboat, lead two daring rescues off the Arcadia Bay breakwater, for which he was awarded two Coast Guard Medals. The breakwater at the ocean entrance to the Bay, the North Jetty, is undergoing a $13 million repair mid-2010, part of the 2009 U.S. economic stimulus. Rocks weighing from 25 to 50 short tons are trucked from Mount Vernon, Washington or near Rainier, Oregon. Category:Locations